The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1887-01-22

their own lall III tney are euhpioyeu toI
wages, and the wages does not suit them,
they take to farming, Wages are always
higher In new and growing countries, just
AS rates Of interest are higher.
II any one wishes TO test the effect OF
protection upon wages, he should take
countries where conditions are somewhat
alike, 70 compare with one another. For
tunately we have two countries OF Europe
watch give US fair basis of comparison
France, from the time of the first Napo-
leon TO the present, has been high tariff
country. England, since 1916, has been
virtually free trade cou ntry. Both coun-
tries are densely populated, and have com
paratively little unimproved land. Napo-
leon aimed to make France produce with
In her own boundaries everything necessa-
ry for home use, both in peace and war.
England has adopted the system of seek
ing to produce what she is best adapted to
produce,
Today the wages of high tariff France
are almost exactly those of free trade Eng
land. la England, skilled laDor commands
a very little more and unskilled labor a
very little less than in France. England
sends abroad yearly very large emigra
ton, and grows in population about five
per cent. annually. France sends abroad
very few of her people and grows about
one AMI half per cent annually.
Germ my Is also working on the protec
tive theory, but German wages are very
low
The highest average wages In America
today are paid in the unprotected indus
tries.
1t may be we'll here TO notice the indus.
tries which are in nowise benefited, but are
hindered more or less by the tariff.
Only about one fourth of our entire pop
ulation IL directly or indirectly employed
in the protected industries.
Whatever extra wages or profits these
men receive because Of protection come
out of the wages, the profits or the savings
of the rest of the people.
The interests of the farmers, who mum.
Der over seven millions, of the railroad
employees, who number million and a
half farm hands and day laborers who
work at rough labor, all sailors carpenters,
masons, wood workers of all kinds, seam
stresses, merchants and their clerks, plumb
ers, GLACIERS, timers, machinists, builders
of farm machinery, ship builders and
packers of canned goods of all kinds suffer
because of protection.
The railroads spend more for iron and
for cars and for engines than they need to
do, and have less to transport because OF
protection. Hence there are fewer rail-
roads and higher freights. The commerce
Of the cou1try has almost disappeared.
800 million of dollars are now paid to for
eign nations in the way Of freights, and the
American sailor Is thing of the past.
The poor sewing girls of our large cities
find their rent, their coal, their sugar, their
clothing, their needles, scissors and thread,
all cost higher because of the tariff de-
signed to help the working class. Every
day labor-r pays more for his cotton and
wooden clothing, his blankets, his coal, his
sugar, his salt, his glass, his tin ware, his
crockery than he otherwise would.
Today nine,tenths of our exports are 10
unprotected articles. Our b0asted protec
ton fails to bring us up to such state of
perfection that we can compete In the mar
kets of the world.
Our protected manufactures are all for
home consumption. AS soon as they seek
foreign market they come in competition
with other nations who manufacture
cheaper because they are better able to So
cure favorable conditions No nation ever
has built up a foreign trade on protected
industries.
One of our heaviest exports In the way
of manuf actured goods is farm machinery.
In spite of the tariff on iron and wood, we
are able, by reason of our Inventive ana
mechanical genius, to lead the world In
tbs.
Can we suppose that people like our
own Is unable to find business enough that
is profitable enough without tariffs Take
off our taxes on raw material and see!
But does protection really protect9 Why
is 1t that In Massachusetts,, the leading
manufacturing state in proportion to its
population, with solid republican majorl-
ty, there have just Teen elected two con-
gressmen pledged to tariff reform?
Because the working men and even the
capitalists are beginning to see that protec-
ton is not doing what it claims to do. 1t
does not raise wages, as 1t promises, and
the operatives see it. 1t stimulates over
production and it cuts off the foreign mar
ket, and the capitalist sees it. They do not
yet talk free trade, but they do call loudly
for tariff reform.
But the protected monopolists deny even
fair discussion. They fear that If one